Temnostoma vespiforme - arthropodafotos.de

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) ➔ Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods) ➔ Class Insecta (Insects) ➔ Order Diptera (True flies) ➔ Family Syrphidae (Hoverflies)

Temnostoma vespiforme (Linnaeus, 1758)

Wespen-Moderholzschwebfliege

Synonyms and other combinations:

Temnostoma vespiforme (Linnaeus, 1758) Wespen-Moderholzschwebfliege
Temnostoma vespiforme, male
DE, Chemnitz, Stadtpark; 2015-06-08 11:19:19
Image number: 6996
male
DE, Chemnitz, Stadtpark
2015-06-08 11:19:19
Temnostoma vespiforme (Linnaeus, 1758) Wespen-Moderholzschwebfliege
Temnostoma vespiforme, male
DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2011-05-29 13:19:35
Image number: 4595
male
DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
2011-05-29 13:19:35
Temnostoma vespiforme (Linnaeus, 1758) Wespen-Moderholzschwebfliege
Temnostoma vespiforme, male
DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2011-05-29 13:19:16
Image number: 4596
male
DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
2011-05-29 13:19:16
Temnostoma vespiforme (Linnaeus, 1758) Wespen-Moderholzschwebfliege
Temnostoma vespiforme, male
DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald; 2011-06-02 13:10:14
Image number: 4604
male
DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
2011-06-02 13:10:14
Temnostoma vespiforme (Linnaeus, 1758) Wespen-Moderholzschwebfliege
Temnostoma vespiforme, male
DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald; 2011-06-02 13:14:37
Image number: 4605
male
DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
2011-06-02 13:14:37
Temnostoma vespiforme (Linnaeus, 1758) Wespen-Moderholzschwebfliege
Temnostoma vespiforme, male
DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald; 2011-06-02 13:14:58
Image number: 4606
male
DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
2011-06-02 13:14:58
Temnostoma vespiforme (Linnaeus, 1758) Wespen-Moderholzschwebfliege
Temnostoma vespiforme
DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald; 2011-06-02 13:11:07
Image number: 4607

DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
2011-06-02 13:11:07
Temnostoma vespiforme (Linnaeus, 1758) Wespen-Moderholzschwebfliege
Temnostoma vespiforme, female
DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2009-05-20 10:31:35
Image number: 505
female
DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
2009-05-20 10:31:35
Temnostoma vespiforme (Linnaeus, 1758) Wespen-Moderholzschwebfliege
Temnostoma vespiforme, female
DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2006-06-10 09:49:25
Image number: 527
female
DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
2006-06-10 09:49:25
Temnostoma vespiforme (Linnaeus, 1758) Wespen-Moderholzschwebfliege
Temnostoma vespiforme, female
DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2006-06-10 09:49:05
Image number: 526
female
DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
2006-06-10 09:49:05
Temnostoma vespiforme (Linnaeus, 1758) Wespen-Moderholzschwebfliege
Temnostoma vespiforme + Temnostoma meridionale
DE, Chemnitz; 0000-00-00 00:00:00
Image number: 8180

DE, Chemnitz
0000-00-00 00:00:00

Classification:

Temnostoma vespiforme belongs to the subfamily Eristalinae, tribe Milesiini.

Distribution:

Palaearctic: From Western Europe to Japan; in Europe from northern Sweden to the Pyrenees and from France to the Caucasus.

Habitat:

Moist deciduous forest with well-developed undergrowth and abundant dead wood.

Description:

Body length 12 - 18 mm; mesoscutum with yellow marks immediately anterior to the postalar calli connected to yellow marks on the postalar calli and elongated yellow marks on each side in the vicinity of the transverse suture, crossing the transverse suture uninterrupted; abdomen: at least tergites 3 - 4 in the male and 3 - 5 in the female with two distinct, transverse, yellow bands frequently joined by a narrow yellow middle strip; the anterior and posterior bands reach the lateral margins of the tergites, which are normally entirely, and broadly, yellow.

Similar species:

A similar species is Temnostoma meridionale. Both species can be distinguished by the yellow spots on the mesoscutum. For comparison, the last picture shows a male of Temnostoma vespiforme and a female of Temnostoma meridionale.

Biology:

Temnostoma vespiforme flies from May to August.
The species is often found near brooks and rivers. The males usually hover at a height of about 3 m. They gather on flowering shrubs and wait for females. Both sexes regularly visit flowers and are often observed on white umbellifers and flowering shrubs (hawthorn, elderberry, raspberry, red honeysuckle).
Larvae of Temnostoma vespiforme live and develop in the wet wood of dead deciduous trees and stumps. The larvae have a stocky, muscular body with hooks in the chest area. They bore burrows in the wood, which they keep open for the supply with oxygen. The wood-eating (xylophagous) larvae feed on microorganisms that live in the wood.
The development of the larvae probably takes 2 years.

Mimicry:

The striking yellow and black colored Temnostoma species not only resemble wasps in their appearance, but also mimic them with their behavior. They usually keep their forelegs extended far beyond the head so that they resemble the antennae of wasps. This mimicry helps to protect against predators, such as birds.

Natural enemies:

Phaenocarpa barthii (Brues, 1907) - Hymenoptera, Braconidae.
Phaenocarpa tiliae Tobias, 1986 - Hymenoptera, Braconidae.

References, further reading, links:

Pape T. & Thompson F.C. (eds) (2017). Systema Dipterorum (version 2.0, Jan 2011). In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life, 2017 Annual Checklist (Roskov Y., Abucay L., Orrell T., Nicolson D., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., DeWalt R.E., Decock W., De Wever A., Nieukerken E. van, Zarucchi J., Penev L., eds.). Digital resource at www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2017. Species 2000: Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. ISSN 2405-884X.
Gerald Bothe: Bestimmungsschlüssel für die Schwebfliegen (Diptera, Syrphidae) Deutschlands und der Niederlande, DJN, 1984, ISBN 3-923376-07-3
M.C.D.Speight: Species Accounts of European Syrphidae (Diptera), Glasgow 2011, Syrph the Net, the database of European Syrphidae, vol. 65, 285 pp., Syrph the Net publications, Dublin.
Menno Reemer, Willem Renema, Wouter van Steenis, Theo Zeegers, Aat Barendregt, John T. Smit, Mark P. van Veen, Jeroen van Steenis, Laurens van der Leij: De Nederlandse Zweefvliegen (Diptera: Syrphidae), Nederlandse Fauna 8, 2009.
Speight, M.C.D. & Sarthou, J.-P. (2014) StN keys for the identification of the European species of various genera of Syrphidae (Diptera) 2014 / Clés StN pour la détermination des espèces Européennes de plusieurs genres des Syrphidae (Diptères) 2014. Syrph the Net, the database of European Syrphidae, Vol. 80, 125 pp, Syrph the Net publications, Dublin